Georgia 3 – 6/2014

October 14, 2016

Certainly one of the more pleasant things about driving into Georgia was that it is a Christian nation. Not that we have anything against the Islamic faith. Some of our good friends are Muslim, but it was nice not to be woken up before sunrise by amplified loudspeakers throughout town calling us toÂ prayer. In fact, driving by villages, there were often one or more church steeples, and as we noted before, the dress of mostly young women was as modern as San Francisco or London.

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta is one of the most important Eastern Orthodox churches, a World Heritage Site.

We learned that Nino, later Sainte Nino, at the age of 14, experienced a vision of the Virgin Mary telling her that her destiny was to convert the Iverians to Christianity. Coming to Iveria, (Eastern Georgia), in the 320s, Nino won a royal convert when her prayers saved Queen Nana from a serious illness. Then, King Mirana was struck blind while hunting, only for his sight to be miraculously restored after he prayed to the Christian God. King Mirana made Christianity Iveriaâ€™s official religion in about 327. It was the second nation in Asia to become Christian after Armenia.

We stopped to visit a fewÂ religious sites, among them Musket and Bodbe. Being Sunday in Mtskheta, several wedding ceremonies in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral were happening simultaneously and continuously, giving us an interesting experience of a Georgian Orthodox wedding.

This wedding party appeared in their Chokha, a traditional outfit from the 9th century. It was rarely seen under Soviet rule but now it’s a strong show of Georgian national pride.

But now it was time to head to Tbilisi to collect our Chinese visa. Getting closer to the capitol also meant that the intensity of Georgian crazy drivers and road conditions multiplied.Â

Humps, bumps and potholes were enough to keep our speed to a max 40-mph. Unmarked 5â€ť speed bumps would suddenly appear for no apparent reason and had to be crossed at 2-mph in our truck to avoid breaking something or getting air. Since no one obeys any posted or unposted speed limit, the bumps were somewhat effective. They reminded us of crossing Brazil where the speed bumps are twice as high. If they tried that here, the BMWs would get high centered.

Should we mention parking? Joke! On a 4-lane road, the lane on the right is not a lane. If that fills up, you just double or triple-park wherever you please. Parking on both sides of a narrow side street quickly turns it into a zero-clearance alley unless youâ€™re driving a mini car. Sidewalks were perfect parking areas as long as you could get half your vehicle off the road, and even that was not too important.

This cafe was located at the Round Garden (Park) in Tbilisi near the UN Headquarters. We parked just around to corner while waiting for the Chinese Embassy to open. A keen eye can spot The Turtle V behind the tree in the distance.

Arriving in the capital city of Tbilisi, the drivers and traffic were nearly humorous. Interchanges were something like a scary ride at an amusement park that had somehow gone wrong. We ended up hiring a taxi to find the Chinese Embassy. It was closed for the three-day long Dragon Boat Festival. After a long two days and two nights parked half on the sidewalk of a side street near the Chinese Embassy, UN Headquarters and the Round Garden, we were informed that they do not issue visas to foreigners unless they are living or working in Georgia. We were shocked. Plan B??

We escaped the madding traffic of Tbilisi with only a couple U-turns and more grey hairs and found a quietÂ camp in a meadow overlooking a pleasantÂ valley. It was time to take a deep breath.

Sainte Nino is the most revered sainte in Georgia and was responsible for bringing Christianity to the country.

We think this simple stone marked the site of Ste. Nino’s original church.

Many weddings were held at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta the Sunday we visited.

Young Georgian women dressed very fashionably.

A side cove was reserved for baptisms.

Legend has it that the robe of Jesus was once buried under this monument in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

People were praying, lighting candles, touching and kissing many icons and columns throughout the church.

There were many beautiful icons of revered Georgian saints through the church.

Many believers lit candles.

We were fortunate to watch several weddings at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. it gave us an interesting perspective of this Georgian orthodox marriage ritual.

Part of the ceremony seemed to be the crowning of the couple.

This groom was especially somber during the wedding ceremony.

Flower girls and ring bearers were part of every Georgian wedding.

“You may kiss the bride”. The flower girl and the ring bearer seemed fascinated.

This pretty chandelier was located above the main altar.

Being Sunday, those who were not part of a wedding enjoyed themselves in the nearby park.

This cafe was located at the Round Garden, (a park), just across from the UN headquarters in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

We spent many hours catching up on emails and blogs while waiting for the Chinese Embassy to open.

The cafe intrigued us with Starbucks coffee. We skipped the burgers.

We found an OK parking place just down the street from the Round Garden in Tbilisi where we had to wait for three days for the Chinese embassy to reopen. They were celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival.

Tbilisi city dwellers seem to enjoy flowers.

This kiosk was located across the street from the Round Garden.

The gal at this travel agency by the Round Garden was kind enough to answer many of our questions.

The Round Garden in Tbilisi which was located near the UN Headquarters was popular with babysitting grandparents.

This pretty fountain was the focal point of the Round Garden popular with people of all ages.